Hans Struzyna on Elite Performance, Real Estate Success, and Winning Habits

Hans Struzyna (00:00)
two things come to mind. ⁓ Number one is you said someone’s sitting on the sideline. So my thought is, first of all, start. Get in the game. The first investment you make will absolutely not be the thing that retires you. Just forget about that part. We’re not going public with the first thing that you made in your dorm room here. That happens, of course, but that’s not likely to happen for all of us, right?

Scott Bursey (00:26)

I’m your host Scott Bursey. And today we’re talking about success at the highest level. From closing over 350 million in real estate deals to competing as an Olympian. We are joined by a true expert in elite performance and high volume brokerage. Please welcome Hans Struzyna from Windermere Real Estate Company. Hans, thanks for joining us.

Hans Struzyna (02:27)
Thank you, Scott. Appreciate you having me.

Scott Bursey (02:30)
It is our pleasure and Hans for our listeners who may not be familiar with your journey, please tell us how your career began and where you’re at now.

Hans Struzyna (02:42)
Yeah, absolutely. Your intro of sales metrics to competing in the Olympics, would say, I would reverse those two and say, started with the ⁓ rowing in my world and then transitioned into real estate. So I grew up in Seattle, Washington, went to the University of Washington where we were very competitive as rowers, decided to continue that sporting theme in my life and chased the Olympic and the national team for Team USA.

for six years after I graduated. I was fortunate enough to make the 2016 team in Rio de Janeiro where I was in the men’s eight. And once we finished competing where we were fourth, we just missed the podium. You know, some time to take a step back and decide, okay, what do I actually want to do with my life? And real estate was always a part of it. My dad was a real estate attorney. My

Two of my uncles are big developers and property managers in Seattle. I have another uncle from my dad’s side who’s an architect and has owned multiple large apartment buildings in Philly. So it kind of had it around me for a long time. So I figured I’d get my license, which I did. And I was able to be supported by a brokerage, a team actually down in Southern California who wanted to expand their operation into the Bay area.

They said, hey, why don’t you try this with us? And it was very low pressure. They gave me a lot of support, taught me how to cold call, taught me how to fill out the contracts and do all that stuff more or less remotely. ⁓ And I did that for a couple of years. We were targeting foreclosures and short sales in 2017 when that wasn’t a thing. But believe it or not, they were out there and I sold like 10 of them or something my first year.

Then I had the fortune of meeting David Gunderman and Andrew Raskopf, who were the top Reeliter team and individuals in the Bay Area, in the East Bay, is, and struck up a friendship, called in some connections. They said, hey, we would love to have you on our team. Then kind of the rest was history. I joined that organization in 2018 and just saw that I was in an opera

like a huge opportunity to do some really cool stuff in this business,

learned everything I could from them, implemented as fast as I could, and that has been basically since 2018 till now in 2026.

Scott Bursey (06:08)
What a remarkable journey. That is just fantastic. Everybody, we’re diving into the mindset of an elite performer and how that translates into massive success in real estate investment world. Hans, let’s start with your sheer volume of success. Closing over $350 million is a massive, massive accomplishment. What is the single most critical system

or principle that allows a broker to manage that level of, I guess, complexity and scale their business so successfully.

Hans Struzyna (06:50)
Well, I think there’s a couple things. ⁓ First of all, it’s learning because it certainly didn’t start that way. As I mentioned in the intro, I was doing the unsexy work of cold calling people who were in foreclosure. And ⁓ the logic there was you’re new. They’ve got a bigger problem than how many units you’ve sold. So why don’t we cut your teeth there? And I think there was sound.

But basically as I went along, kept learning. And I think that is the most important bit of my success is like I learned and I grew and I learned and I grew. And then eventually, you you got to figure out like, okay, is the vehicle I’m in, whether it be a team you’re on, or the industry you’re in, or the type of sale you’re pursuing, whether it’s, you know, single family, multifamily, whatever, is big enough to to meet sort of where you’re at.

And then you have to be willing to make a change if that is no longer in alignment with your goals and the outcomes you’re pursuing. So I think the learning is number one, just constantly improving your skills and getting better at what it is you’re pursuing, your commitment to excellence. And then I think from there, it’s leverage, both of your time and of the people around you. ⁓ The thing that I love,

in this business is when you can have a partnership that’s just successful, either in a brokerage situation or in an investor situation, because people bring different skill sets to the table. And so there are certain people who love being in a supporting role and would hate to host an open house and meet people and vice versa. So there’s these key people along the way that you can meet and partner with formally or informally.

And if you try to hold onto it all yourself, that’s just going to, by definition, limit you. So the learning and the leverage, I think, are the two key things that once you really wrap your head around those and you implement those in your life, you can be successful in whatever business you choose.

Scott Bursey (09:03)
That’s a key big perspective. The success is in a repeatable disciplined process, if you will, not just volume. As an Olympian, you have an inherent understanding of rigorous training, mental toughness, and goal setting. How do you keep that mental discipline and focus required for world-class competition?

Hans Struzyna (09:21)
Mm-hmm.

Scott Bursey (09:30)
and then translate that directly into making calculated winning decisions in high stakes real estate deals.

Hans Struzyna (09:41)
Yeah. I think it truly goes back to this notion of, you know, this, this idea that you’ve developed a world-class mindset. don’t think you get to that level unless you’ve put in enough reps and you know, you’ve learned and then you’ve, you’ve failed and then you’ve changed something and then you tried it again.

you know, that doesn’t happen overnight. And so being having, well, in my case, 12 years in the sport of rowing.

from the time I think I was 14 when I started until I was 27, I guess, when I retired officially, ⁓ maybe 26, I don’t remember exactly, but somewhere around there. And then still, I had all these reps of building the space. And then I took that and just took the mentality and had to go learn the new widget, which was sales in this case, and of course, real estate. ⁓ So developing that,

took a while. And then once it’s there, it’s continuing to sharpen and continuing to sharpen because it will dull over time if you let it. ⁓ Now the goal setting piece, I think, is what keeps me, I would say, focused and driven towards something because you can have this great engine, this great foundation, and if you don’t put it in the right direction, it’s kind of for naught, right? So

At a certain point, know, when you’re especially when you’re starting out buying your first deal getting your first cash flow check You know closing your first check commission check, you know, whatever the case is. Those are those are great milestones But then you sort of cross those Thresholds if you will and then it doesn’t do it for you anymore And now you have to grow and expand and that goes back to this like learning and building your base and that sort of thing so I guess to

attempt to succinctly say what I just said, I think it’s a process over time that you can develop sort of one step at a time. Because if you try to do it all at once in one big chunk, you’re probably going to ⁓ fail and really be turned off to the whole concept. But doing it one at a time, I think is really the best way to approach it.

Scott Bursey (12:38)
Critical insight right there for our listeners Translating that consistent daily effort into long-term investment gains That’s not easy. That’s where the trending of Olympian comes into play the the tough mindset and Hans I’ve been eager to ask you this Considering your experience across various price points and markets where

Are the untapped potential niches right now that reward the kind of discipline, long-term focus you advocate? Is it ⁓ leveraging density in specific asset classes, or is it a particular location?

Hans Struzyna (13:26)
Well, I’ve recently relocated almost full time to the Pacific Northwest where I grew up. My wife and I are now basing out of here in Seattle. So you’ve introduced me with Windermere Real Estate. Anyone in the PNW knows that brand. ⁓ And then I’m also licensed in California still with Keller Williams. So I’m kind of in an interesting space there. And then personally, we have some rental properties in Ohio, and then we have some actually in Tacoma, Washington.

So I see not so much an asset class personally, but ⁓ I just see sort of a trend line of baby boomers by and large who have ⁓ something like 41 or 42 % of the single family homes and some huge chunk of the multifamily. I don’t know what that number is off the top of my head and have a huge number of businesses.

⁓ Oftentimes they’re small, three to 10 person operations that are quite profitable, probably own some real estate, probably own some other assets. So I’m watching just this general like baby boomer trend of now they’re all 65 and older. And over the next three to five years, ⁓ there’s going to be this transfer of these assets.

either through people passing away or retiring or wanting to simplify. And so I’m not so much thinking like, this sub market with this type of property because I want to redevelop and personally, that’s just not where my head’s at,

but more like what is it that the baby boomers have? And then how can we make a partnership or a win-win, whether that be with real estate or their businesses or the houses that they own or whatever. And I think

that’s a trend that I’m pretty focused on and trying to figure out where the opportunity is in it.

Scott Bursey (16:12)
Hey, that makes perfect sense. Win, win. And that’s how you win. Excellent point on identifying opportunities. Knowing where to apply your capital and effort is everything. Hans, I’m interested to know, how are you leveraging advanced data analysis on specific technology to maintain that competitive edge in the market, allowing you to move faster

than the competition.

Hans Struzyna (16:45)
Yeah, it’s really, it’s just taking the time to learn in this case, AI, the LLMs, the open source models, you know, the amount of money that, the amount of value you get for free with these tools right now. And then if you pay 20 bucks a month,

It’s sort of remarkable, but it’s only valuable if you understand how to use them. And so I’m making an effort, like I have a chat GVT account and a cloud account that I pay for, and I’m probably gonna add one more, just, you know, that’s $40 a month. And I get this this like Ferrari engine times two of like capacity, right?

But it’s only as good as if I know how to use it and how I prompt it and then what I do with what it gives me. so learning that and really understanding how to use these tools ⁓ is something that I’m really, really focused on right now in all of my business activity, whether that be rentals or, ⁓ you know, I own a ⁓ sign installation business in Sacramento or my real estate sales. And I’m trying to figure out how to

become more prevalent online. I’m creating content and it’s helping me there. We’re taking the feedback that we’re getting in views and clicks and we’re analyzing it. we had a drop off here. And it’s stuff that I could hire someone to do, but I don’t necessarily have the resources or the desire to have that person full time just yet. And I can have that input or at least some of that input in one of these tools. Plus,

You can build a dashboard with Cloud Cowork in an hour that if you shove in a spreadsheet, it’ll take it and visualize it and pull out trends and color code them or whatever you want it to do. ⁓ And so these things can exist that just even six months ago, it wasn’t even possible. So I think really it’s like playing and finding out where the applications are first. ⁓

and getting competent in how to use them, then figuring out where the niche goes from there.

Scott Bursey (19:11)
taking that material and then refining it. That’s smart. And if you’re not doing that, you’re missing out. Fascinating shift. Efficiency truly is a game changer at the highest levels. Hans, if you could walk us through what is your single biggest prediction or piece of advice for the individual investors sitting on the sidelines right now who

wants to apply an elite athlete mindset to their current investment strategy.

Hans Struzyna (19:47)
think the

two things come to mind. ⁓ Number one is you said someone’s sitting on the sideline. So my thought is, first of all, start. Get in the game. The first investment you make will absolutely not be the thing that retires you. Just forget about that part. We’re not going public with the first thing that you made in your dorm room here. That happens, of course, but that’s not likely to happen for all of us, right?

Scott Bursey (20:15)
You

Hans Struzyna (20:17)
So start. think there’s so many people who outthink themselves of different investments and, you know, probably should have bought something in 2019 thinking whatever. And then they sat, sat, sat. And then by 2022, just, the price ran up and the, you know, cap rates were just inaccessible and didn’t make sense anymore. And then interest rates went up. But like, if you would have bought then you’d be like kicking yourself.

because he’s just like, only problem was I didn’t buy more, right? And that’s literally what happened to me and my wife is we like shoved all of our money to buy this first duplex in 2018 and then did a burr strategy and pulled it all out and did it again in 2019. And we were just hemorrhaging to try to make that work, but we believed in it and we went for it. And then, you know, the pandemic happened and

crisis went crazy and I’m like, man, on paper, I look like a genius right now. But the only reason that happened was because we started. And so I think, you know, I’m always thought I always think about this, like Gary Keller, who’s obviously the leader of Keller Williams, says it’s always the right time to buy the right piece of real estate. And I and I personally believe that I think that whether you’re buying a single family home for yourself and your family or an investment, the right property,

for you in the right time, it’s always the right time for that. so getting clear on what that is and then actually going for it, I think is really just get off the sideline. Because when people, as Warren Buffett says, when people are fearful, it’s a good time to jump in. And when people aren’t, it’s maybe the time to pull back, right? So there are those opportunities out there if you’re active and you’re in the market.

Scott Bursey (22:12)
getting in the game and then participating in the game and then getting to that next game and building that foundation so you can get to the playoffs and then the championship series. Looking forward to seeing that discipline push forward in our listeners’ portfolios, Hans. And I gotta ask you this.

Hans Struzyna (22:25)
Mm-hmm.

Scott Bursey (22:39)
You know, your perspective on elite performance today has been so refreshing. What are some of your training habits that you apply right now currently in today’s world?

Hans Struzyna (22:53)
Are you saying like the like physical training or like as it as it pertains to like the business training?

Scott Bursey (23:01)
the business training, some of the core principles that you apply that ⁓ when you were in the rowing, ⁓ practicing every day in rowing, let’s say. And what do you, ⁓ what do you apply today from when you were in ⁓ the rowing competition? I guess would be the best way to rephrase that.

Hans Struzyna (23:27)
Yeah, I’m getting more active on social media. So I actually just made a video which will be out by the time this podcast goes live. But I was actually thinking about that yesterday, ⁓ which was to say the, in this case, the market as a whole doesn’t care about your track record. It cares about what you’re doing today right now. You know, obviously your track record might open some doors.

it might give you an opportunity to get, you know, get in the listing appointment or go make an offer to the broker or something, but it doesn’t mean that you’re actually going to pull it off and execute, right? So the thing that does matter is the work you’re doing now, today, the way you show up at that race, at that workout, whatever, you know, at that meeting, whatever it is. ⁓ And then the preparation and the effort you’re putting in now, because ultimately,

you what you did 10 years ago isn’t gonna move the boat today, just like what you bought 10 years ago isn’t gonna necessarily make it so that you’re like a genius in the market today.

Scott Bursey (24:36)
That makes perfect sense. So don’t live in the past. know, yes, you’ve experienced some success and that has created momentum for you. But the main thing is to apply yourself right now and continually strive to get maybe 1 % better each and every day. And that was a very good breakdown. Thank you for sharing that perspective on elite performance in real estate today with our audience.

It was great having you here.

Hans Struzyna (25:10)
It was my pleasure, thanks for having me.

Scott Bursey (25:12)
If our listeners want to follow your journey or collaborate with you, what is the best way that they can reach out?

Hans Struzyna (25:20)
⁓ well, I’m pretty much on all the social media platforms. So if you are, ⁓ just type in my first name and last name, Hans Struzyna, S T R U Z Y N A. There’s not a lot of us out there. ⁓ you’ll find me. so whatever your platform of choice is, I’m probably there.

Scott Bursey (25:40)
Excellent. Thank you for that. And once again, this has been more than a pleasure. It’s been an honor having you on our podcast.

Hans Struzyna (25:49)
Thanks for having me. It’s my pleasure.

Scott Bursey (25:51)
To our listeners, thank you for tuning in. We appreciate you. If you found value in today’s show, please make sure you’re subscribed. Until next time, keep your standards high and your vision clear. We’ll see you in the next episode, everyone.